Draft appliance.



- C. N. SONNIGHSEN.

DRAFT APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION mum JUNE27, 1911.

Patented Nov. 21, 1911.

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G. N. SONNIGHSBN.

DRAFT APPLIANCE.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 27, 1911.

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CHRISTIAN'N. SONNIGHSEN, OF BRIDG-EWATER, SOUTH DAKOTA.

DRAFT APPLIANCE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 27, 1911.

Patented Nov. 21, 1911.

Serial No. 635,672.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHRISTIAN N. SON- NICHSEN, citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Bridgewater, in the county of McCook and State ofSouth Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in DraftAppliances, of which the following is a specification. V

This invention relates to draft appliances especially adapted to beapplied to thebeams of breaking gang plows, and has for its object toprovide simple and efiective means for disconnecting the draft animalsfrom the plow should the plow encounter a large root, stone or otherobstruction. By having the parts so arranged the shoulders of the draftanimals are protected from injury and the harness and parts of the ploware not subjected to excessive strain by reason of the character of theimpact mentioned.

A further object of the invention is to i provide means for holding theswingle and double trees in elevated positions after they have beendetached from the draft appliance so that they may not fall against theheels of the draft animals.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a top plan view of the draftappliance; Fig. 2 is an under plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is alongitudinal sectional view of the same cut on the line 33 of Fig. 2;Fig. 4

cut on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a yokeand clevis forming part of the appliance.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawingsby the same reference characters.

The draft appliance includes a frame consist-ing of a transverselydisposed bar 1 having at its intermediate portion a series ofperforations 2. The frame also includes end frame pieces 3 and 4 whichare provided at their inner sides with rearwardly projecting portionsadapted to be secured to a cross bar 5 mounted upon the forward ends ofthe plow beams 6. The cross bar 5 is provided with a series ofperforations 7, whereby the end pieces 3 and 4 may be adjustablyconnected with the said bar. Links -8 connect the intermediate portionof the bar 1 with the bar 5 and serve to brace the intermediate portionof the bar 1 with relation to the said bar 5. The links 8 may beadjusted in their positions upon the said bars.

fmember of the end frame pieces 3 is pro- ?vided at its inner side witha recess 11. A 3' lever 12 is fulcrumed at a point intermediate 5 itsends between the end frame pieces 3 and ghas an end portion which liesbetween the inner edge portions of the said frame ipieces 3 in'thevicinity of the forward end ,fof the recess 11. ition of the lever 12 atthe inner end ?thereof is chamfered as at 13. An arm 14 is pivotally andadjustably mounted at the outer end portion of the lever 12 and isprovided with a downturned extremity which islidably receives the endportion of a rod :15, fixed to the outer rear portions of the :framemembers 3. An abutment 16 is fixed to the rod 15 and a coil spring 17 isinter- ;iposed between the said abutment and the downturned extremity ofthe arm 14 and is under tension with a tendency to hold the arm 14toward the forward edge portions of the frame members 3.

is a transverse sectional view of the same i The .inner edge por- A bar18'is pivotally connected at its outer portion when the free end thereofis not confined between the inner edge portions of the frame pieces 3.The said bar 18 normally lies over the forward edge portion of the plate9 and across the outer ends of the slots 10 therein, closing the saidslots and serving as means for retaining double and ,swingle trees aswill be hereinafter explained. The forward edge of the free end portionof the bar 18 is chamfered as at 19 and normally bears against thechamfered end 13 of the lever 12.

A yoke 20 is adapted to straddle the bar 18 and is provided with a crossbolt 21 which may be passed through any one of the slots 10, whereby thesaid yoke may be pivotally and adjustably mounted at any desired pointalong the length of the bar 18. A

. roller 22 is journaled between the intermeend between the forwardportions of the j frame end pieces .4, the pivotal connection betweenthe said bar and the frame being sufficiently loose to permit the saidbar to swing at a horizontal plane at its free end diate portions of thesides of the yoke and at times is adapted to engage the forward edge ofthe bar 18, whereby the rearward movement of the said yoke with relationto the said bar is limited. The rollen is freely journaled andconsequently as the yoke swings with relation to the bar 18 the saidroller may turn and reduce friction at the point of contact between theyoke and the bar. A clevis 23 is pivoted at the forward end of the yoke20 and is free to turn in either direction at a right angle to the longdimension of the yoke 20. A whifiletree 24 is connected with the clevis23 in any appropriate manner and doubletrees are mounted at the endportions of the whiflietree. Swingle-trees 26 are connected with the endportions of the double-trees and it is to the said swingle-trees thatthe draft animals (not shown) are hitched.

A clip 27 is fixed to the bars 1 and 5 and is provided with angularlydisposed ends 28. A rod 29 is slidably received within the ends 28 ofthe said clip and at its forward end is pivotally connected with theclevis 23 at one side of the point of connection between the said clevisand the yoke 20. An abutment 30 is mounted upon the rod 29 at a pointbetween the extremities 28 of the said clip and a coil spring 31 isinterposed between the said abutment and the forward extremity 28 of thesaid clip. This spring is under tension with a tendency to hold the rod29 in a rearward position in the clip, but when excessive strain isapplied to the rod it may move in a forward direction against thetension of the said spring but at no time can the clevis 23 becomecompletely detached from the major portion of the draft appliance.

It is apparent that by shifting the yoke 20 along the bar 18 the bolt 21may be positioned in any one of the slots 10 and the clip 27 may besecured to the bars 1 and 5 at any desired point. Consequently the draftstrain from the whiffietree may be applied to the plow beams at anydesired points between their ends or at their ends. Thus side draft onthe part of the plow bottoms (not shown) may be counteracted.

WVhen the parts are applied to the forward ends of the plow beams andthe draft animals are hitched to the swingle-trees and are pulling theplows in a forward direction, should any one of the bottoms encounter alarge or tough root, stone or other obstruction in the soil which willcheck the forward movement of the .beams, the strain incident to thiscompact will cause the rod 29 to move longitudinally, whereby the spring31 is depressed. At the same time the bolt 21 will pull against the rearedge of the bar 18 and the said bar is swung upon its pivot so that itschamfered end 19 brushes past the chamfered end 13 of the lever 12. Asthe lever 12 swings, the arm 14 carried thereby will compress the spring17 mounted upon the rod 15. Therefore the draft animals may continue tomove in a forward direction but the plows will come to a state of rest.This will materially relieve the shoulders of the animals and theharness and parts of the plow. By reason of the fact that the rod 29 ispivotally connected with the clevis 23, the said clevis and itsattachments cannot drop down upon the heels of the draft animals. Afterthe yoke 20 has become disconnected from the bar 18 and the plate 9, itmay be repositioned upon the appliance by swinging the free end of thebar 18 in a forward direction and pass ing it through the opposite sidesof the said yoke 20 between the bolt 21 and roller 22. The free endportion of the bar 18 is then lifted above the plane of the uppersurface of the uppermost frame piece 3 and is swung back and permittedto fall through the recess 11 in the uppermost frame piece 3, and whenstrain is applied to the yoke 20 the free end of the said bar 18 will bedrawn in a forward direction so that its chamfered end 19 will engagethe chamfered end 13 of the lever 12. Under ordinary conditions thecombined tension of the springs 31 and 17 is sufiicient to hold thechamfered end of the bat l8 behind the chamfered end of the lever 12during the plowing operation, but as soon as the strain is increased byreason of the plow bottoms meeting an obstruction, these springs willgive and permit the free end of the bar 18 to swing forwardly as aboveindicated, thereby releasing the draft animals from the draft appliance.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A draft appliance comprising a frame, a lever fulcrumed thereon,means for resiliently holding the lever in a normal position, a barpivoted upon the frame and having a free end portion engaging the lever,a hitching device mounted upon the bar, and means for holding thehitching device in an adjusted position upon the bar.

2. A draft appliance comprising a frame, a lever fulcrumed thereon,means for resiliently holding the lever in a normal position, a slottedplate carried by the frame, a bar pivoted upon the frame and having afree end portion which engages the lever, said bar normally extendingtransversely of the slots in the said plate, and a hitching devicemounted upon the bar and passing through one of the slots in the plate.

3. A draft appliance comprising a frame, a lever fulcrumed thereon,means for resiliently holding the lever in a normal position, said frameincluding spaced end pieces one of which is provided at its inner edgewith a recess, said lever having an end portion lying between the saidspaced end pieces adjacent the said recess, a bar loosely pivoted uponthe frame and adapted to be inserted through the said recess in contactwith the lever, and a hitching device carried by the bar.

4. A draft appliance comprising a frame, a bar pivoted thereon,resilient means carried by the frame and normally holding the bar closedand against swinging movement, a hitching device mounted upon the bar,and

five cents each, lay addressing the Commissioner of I'atents.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for I Washington, D. G.

